En profil portret van Hugo de Groot before 1909

Mary Cantineau made this etching "En profil portret van Hugo de Groot" using what looks like delicate, controlled marks. The monochrome palette helps to focus your attention on the texture, and the tiny lines build up the form. Look at the way the light catches the side of his nose, see how the etching creates a subtle gradient? Then notice the rougher, darker marks of his beard; it's almost like she's building up the character of the man through these contrasting textures, not just depicting him. It's fascinating how the nature of etching, with its emphasis on line, echoes the way we construct our own understanding of people: bit by bit, detail by detail. Cantineau’s choice of etching suggests an appreciation for the work of artists like Whistler or Félix Vallotton, who each worked in printmaking to capture a certain mood or feeling through the subtlest use of light and shadow. It is never about perfect likeness, more an illusion, an echo.